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I have been making this granola for over 15 years. I found the recipe from a magazine or book that was on the coffee table in a friend’s home. I copied it onto a scrap of paper, and the rest is history.
I like to give this granola as gifts at Christmas time, packaged up in cellophane bags or Mason jars.
Recipes that lend themselves to customization are my favorite. With one basic recipe, you can make loads of different variations. This granola is definitely one of those recipes. Here are some of my favorite additions:
- Triple nut. Add chopped pecans, walnuts, and almonds.
- Cherry walnut. Chopped walnuts and dried cherries.
- Very Berry. A mix of dried cherries, cranberries, and blueberries.
- Maple Nut. Substitute maple syrup for the honey and add a bit of maple extract and your favorite chopped nuts.
I have a couple of favorite ways to eat this crunchy treat, too. Stirred into some vanilla greek yogurt or simply in a bowl with a little whole milk.
If you prefer larger ‘clumps’ of granola to snack on, you might consider lessening the amount of oats so that the increased liquid mixture allows for more… ‘clumpage’. (It’s all very technical.) The liquid coating mixture includes brown sugar, honey, and vegetable oil. I’ve made it with coconut oil with success too, but prefer the neutral flavor of the vegetable oil.
The biggest piece of advice I’d offer is this: Don’t burn it. Check it often to stir. I speak from experience that when it burns, the batch is ruined, the burnt flavor permeates even the un-blackened pieces.
What’s your favorite way to eat granola?
This makes a large batch. If you prefer less, it is easily halved.
Get the recipe here:
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup honey
- 10 cups old fashioned oats
- 3/4 cup powdered milk (optional)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups add ins (or more or less to taste): nuts, dried fruit, etc.
Instructions
- Line 2 sheet pans with foil and spray with cooking spray
- Mix brown sugar, vegetable oil, and honey in saucepan
- Heat over medium low heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring
- Meanwhile, combine oats, powdered milk (if using), salt, cinnamon, and nuts (if using) in large bowl
- Pour sugar mixture over oat mixture and stir to mix well
- Dump mixture onto sheet pans, spreading out
- Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes, stir and swap pan position in oven
- Repeat until oats are deep golden brown, stirring and swapping pans each time
- Total time will vary, usually about 30 minutes
- Remove trays to cooling racks
- When cool, break into pieces and add dried fruit (if using)
- Store in air tight containers or ziploc bags
Chondra Rankin says
January 10, 2017 at 10:06 amYummmmm! Thanks for sharing!
Nita says
January 10, 2017 at 12:02 pmThat’s a lot of sugar, can it be cut down? Or is it not that much per serving? Yay, something I can try. It is very technical, but I think I can handle it. Thanks for sharing.
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Susan says
January 10, 2017 at 12:18 pmIt does seem like a lot of sugar, but it’s spread among what ends up being about 15 cups of granola. And when you eat it, a serving is typically less than 1/4 or 1/2 cup. You could definitely try lessening the sugar, if that’s a concern, though. I’d love to hear how it comes out if you do!
Tracy Z says
January 10, 2017 at 12:07 pmI LOVE it and so do my children! Very tasty and a great gift! Thank you Susan for blessing our family!!!
Susan says
January 10, 2017 at 12:15 pmThanks, Tracy! It’s nice I have people like you to gift this to, who appreciate it. (Since my kids won’t eat it!)
Stephanie F says
January 10, 2017 at 1:26 pmI see that the powdered milk is optional – if I left that out, would it just be a little bit of flavor I would be missing, or does it affect other aspects?
Susan says
January 10, 2017 at 1:45 pmGood question. I don’t think it would affect the flavor too much to leave it out. I did some digging to find out more (since I wasn’t sure) and found a couple of opinions on why some granola recipes call for it. (1) It adds a difficult to capture flavor (like msg in Chinese food). (2) It contributes to browning (3) It adds protein. My personal opinion is that it probably would not affect the recipe greatly to leave it out.
Hope F says
January 11, 2017 at 9:17 amI made this recipe a few months ago without the powdered milk- it came out tasting delicious to me, but then again I’ve never tried it WITH the powdered milk.
Susan says
January 11, 2017 at 1:10 pmGood to know. Exactly as suspected!
GiGi says
January 10, 2017 at 3:02 pmGranola used to be my weakness! I would eat BAGS of it and want more and more! It’s sooooo addictingly delicious!
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Susan says
January 10, 2017 at 9:28 pmAlways good to meet another granola lover. It is definitely crunchy goodness, that’s for sure!
Kelly says
January 10, 2017 at 8:01 pmCan’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing.
Jane Porterfield says
January 11, 2017 at 12:30 amThanks for sharing your recipe, Susan. I used to make my own years ago (when the kiddos were younger). I like to eat things when I know exactly what’s in them. And this is a prime example. No additives or preservatives. Yum.
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Susan says
January 11, 2017 at 7:33 amI’m with you, Jane! It’s good to know exactly what’s in our food. Plus, I’ve found that I’ve gotten spoiled. Store bought granola tastes like cardboard to me now.
dew cool says
January 11, 2017 at 11:25 amI always wonder how to make granola at home , amazing recipe will definitely try at home thanks for sharing 🙂
Charlotte Burkholder says
January 16, 2017 at 10:12 amHomemade granola is yummy and storebought is expensive. Why not make your own right? Thanks for sharing at Family Joy Blog linkup.
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Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
January 25, 2017 at 9:45 amWow – looks really good and fairly simple!
Sarah says
February 3, 2017 at 11:56 amI am loving this recipe and thinking it would go well over some vanilla yogurt. I am excited to try it!